PUC shuts down Mariner East 1 pipeline; orders Sunoco Pipeline to do more tests

WEST WHITELAND >> Following intense pressure by residents and elected officials, the Public Utility Commission stopped transport of hazardous liquids, Wednesday, along the existing Sunoco Mariner East 1 pipeline.

The PUC’s Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement had petitioned, Wednesday morning, for an immediate halt to Sunoco Pipeline’s shipping of highly volatile fuel through the 1931-Sunoco Mariner East 1 pipeline.

Later that afternoon, the PUC chair issued an emergency order stopping “the continued flow of hazardous liquids through the ME1 pipeline without the proper steps to ensure the integrity of the pipelines (which) could have catastrophic results impacting the public.”

The Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement stressed, in light of three sinkholes opening up on Lisa Drive at the site of pipeline construction, and Sunoco’s subsequent patch with concrete, that there was a need for an immediate suspension of ME1 pipeline operation.

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The report reads that the pipeline is “potentially hazardous to the life, property and/or the environment.”

West Goshen activist Tom Casey has been fighting Sunoco for more than four years.

“After years of pointing out the obvious to countless public officials, state agencies, and various courts, the state of Pennsylvania has finally recognized what many of us have been saying for years,” Casey said.

This pipeline project, both the construction of Mariner East 2 and the continued use of an 86-year-old pipeline called Mariner East 1 is a hazard to the public.

“But we should not count our blessing just yet. There needs to be a more extensive review of this entire process to determine if this should have ever been granted a green light to begin with.”

ME1 is an eight-decades-old 8-inch, operating pipeline. The ME2, a 20-inch pipeline, as well as the ME2X, a 16-inch pipeline, are under construction. Sunoco recently announced that it expects the ME2 pipeline to be completed by the end of June.

“Permitting the continued flow of hazardous liquid through the ME1 pipeline without the proper steps to ensure the integrity of the pipeline could have catastrophic results …” reads the March 7 report issued by Paul J. Metro, fixed utility valuation manager for the Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Safety Division.

The report states that the recent sinkhole events compromise the integrity of the three known, and other “yet-to-be-discovered” sinkholes.

Within 24 hours of the PUC order, Sunoco was ordered to run at least one inline inspection tool through the ME1 pipeline. For at least one mile upstream from the Lisa Drive location, and a point one mile downstream, the pipe must be inspected.

State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, has been a vocal critic of the project.

“We can’t afford to wait on this. The number of sinkholes appears to be growing and the heavy snowfall only seems to be exacerbating the problem,” said Dinniman, who serves on the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. “I strongly encourage the PUC to take urgent action in support of this.

“And frankly, given the strong and rather bluntly worded petition, I don’t see how or why the PUC wouldn’t follow the recommendation of its own bureau – a recommendation that cites the very safety of citizens.”

“Sunoco may not resume hazardous liquids transportation service without prior commission approval,” reads the emergency order signed by PUC Chair Gladys Brown.

Within 12 hours of completing the inspection tool run, Sunoco will suspend hazardous liquids transportation service, according to the order.

The pipeline is expected to be down from 10 to 14 days.

Sunoco must also conduct geophysical testing and analysis, report those results and meet with the Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement.

During the study period, Sunoco must maintain minimum pressure in the pipe to avoid gasification of NGLs.

Rich Raiders is an attorney and represents property owners impacted by the pipeline. He has served as a petroleum engineer and environmental manager for the petroleum industry.

Raiders said PUC dispatched an investigative team to the site last week to discover how the existing pipeline was impacted.

Raiders said that the only person capable of immediately shutting down the ME1 pipeline with an emergency stop was PUC chair, Gladys Brown.

Raiders said the PUC “usually takes seriously” such recommendations. The full PUC might make a decision at its next meeting on March 15.

Sunoco has 10 days to file an appeal.

“Governor Wolf’s inability to protect his constituents from a corporation acting with total negligence and disregard for the safety of Pennsylvania communities is, frankly, embarrassing,” said Food & Water Watch organizer Sam Rubin. “Through their reckless construction of the Mariner East 2, they have created extremely dangerous conditions for the Mariner East 1.

“An explosion this close to homes would be catastrophic. That Sunoco has created these conditions is clear and final proof that this whole pipeline project needs to be shut down for good. We’re still waiting for Governor Wolf to act.”

The first sinkhole on Lisa Drive was discovered in December and is 8 feet wide by 3 feet deep.

On March 1, the second sinkhole was discovered. It measures 8 feet wide by 15 feet deep and is located about 300 feet from Amtrak tracks, which the ME1 runs directly beneath.

The third sinkhole appeared on March 3. It is approximately 10 feet from a home and measures 15 feet wide by 20 feet deep. Residents at this residence were evacuated early Saturday.

The March 3 sinkhole was located directly in the path of 4 to 8 foot deep ME1.

The report states that Sunoco did not provide any notification to the PUC prior to a March 3 notification from a resident.

The report stated that PUC is concerned with public safety and “the unknown effects on the nature of the geologic instability of the area.”

Public utility code states that every utility shall furnish and maintain “adequate, efficient, safe, and reasonable service and facilities …”

Raiders said that much of the area sits on granite above limestone. He said you can’t tell from the surface what is below ground.

He also noted that during highway construction at the intersection of routes 202, 422 and I-76, that many sinkholes were filled in during recent reconstruction.

“You can’t tell from the sinkhole,” Raiders said. “Cracks in the subsurface travel, you just don’t know.”

Add underground water and combine the area’s geology with an 80-year-old pipeline, while punching though two new holes for new pipelines, is a worry.

“If the rock is not sturdy enough to hold everything up, you fall into the earth,” Raiders said.

“Sunoco should have never been building its pipelines in this densely-populated neighborhood with busy Amtrak railroad lines and unstable geology. Mariner East 2 construction opened up a sinkhole at this same location months ago and even shook out railroad spikes. Sunoco recklessly continued drilling anyway while DEP disregarded the danger and failed to protect the public.”

Dinniman called for an immediate halt to the project.

“While our frustration with the litany of failures on this project is immense, the petition affirms what we have been saying for more than two years regarding pipeline construction in a geologically questionable and high-density area that includes homes, schools, senior living facilities, parks, and a library,” he said. “Finally, we appear to be getting some action, but again, we can’t afford to wait.

“We need it today. We need the PUC to act to stop operations and stop drilling to protect our homes, our land, and potentially, our lives.”